Have a Little Faith
by oh-skye
Summary: ONE-SHOT. Fluffy piece of Percy's first day back at Goode after the second war, feat. a few demigods and mortal friends. / "Have a little faith in those two will you? Or at least their sneaking skills."


_Disclaimer: Do not own Percy Jackson series, obviously. This doesn't really follow Heroes of Olympus. It has some of the characters but that's about it. Just a short drabble about Percy's first day back at Goode, featuring a few other demigods and some mortal friends that I started developing but never really thought much of after this. x:_

* * *

It was almost impossible to believe that only a semester had passed since he was last walking through the halls of Goode High School. So much had happened since winter that it was almost unnerving to find that nearly nothing had changed. Then again, this was high school and it stopped for no one. With a sigh, he hiked the strap of his backpack higher on his shoulder before stepping out of the car.

"Are you going to be okay?" Paul asked, eyeing his stepson carefully. Despite Percy's constant reassurances that he was fine, Sally had fussed over her son incessantly in the two weeks he'd been home after the war. "Your mom is right, you know. You can take some time off. You earned it." He had no doubt that Percy had watered down the events of the past year during his retelling, but even that version had Sally nearly passing out.

With a wry grin, Percy merely shrugged. "As crazy as it sounds, I actually want to be here—have a chance to be _normal_." As a child with ADHD and dyslexia, he was constantly mocked and picked on during his early years. When he found out about his real father, monsters attacked left and right. After saving the world a few times, he figured he deserved a chance at a normal high school experience before he turned eighteen.

Paul nodded at the answer. That was understandable. Even before finding out about Percy's paternal roots, he knew that his stepson had been different. There were scenarios and circumstances that his mind conjured up before they told him the truth. Needless to say, the fact that his stepson was a demigod –a son of Poseidon the sea god at that—was still sometimes unbelievable. "Okay, well, I'll be going to my class. You've got everything you need?"

Percy snorted as he rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. Stop channeling my mother. I'll be fine." After all, he led battles in two wars. How hard could high school possibly be after that? With a short wave, he made his way down the hall to his assigned locker. It was impossible to miss the constant stares and whispers that followed him along the way. Goode was a small high school and it wasn't every day that students just disappeared in the middle of the year only to come back the next year.

"JACKSON, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

There was a shuffle of feet as he felt a small group hastily make their way towards him. Allowing a small smile on his lips, he looked over his shoulder at his mortal friends gaping at him in surprise. "Hey, guys," he greeted, shutting his locker before turning around to face them.

"_Hey, guys?!_" Sadie Marks nearly screeched as she finally got her mouth working. Her tanned cheeks burned bright red in anger as she hastily brushed blonde curls from her face. "You disappear during winter break without a word and come back here like that was nothing and you say '_hey guys_'?!"

Percy cringed at her outburst. Well, he sort of expected that. With a small laugh, he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, about that," he muttered, licking his lips. "A family emergency came up and well, things just kind of escalated and got really hectic." They stared at him blankly at his explanation and he forced out a chuckle. "Sorry?"

Sadie's eyes narrowed. "And you couldn't be bothered to call or write or e-mail? It's the 21st century, Percy Jackson. Do not tell me there was absolutely no way you could have contacted any of us. We were worried sick! We even asked Mr. Blofis but he couldn't give us an answer. What kind of family emergency could it have been that _he_ didn't know? He's your dad!" Her rant was frighteningly similar to that of his mother's. "I—"

"What Sadie is trying to say is welcome back, Jackson," Mason Fox cut in before his girlfriend could start on another tirade. Once Sadie Marks got started on one of her lectures, it was near impossible to get her to stop. When she shot him a withering look, he smiled at her before turning towards Percy. "And we're sure you have a better explanation than that vague 'family emergency' shit you just tried."

Running a hand through his hair, Percy leaned back against his locker in defeat. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys but it's not exactly something I can talk about. Like I said, it was a family thing – a dad's side family thing," he added with a pointed look at Sadie.

"You mean you were with your real dad?" The brunette standing next to Percy asked, hazel eyes wide with surprise. This was shocking information. Kayla had decided to allow Sadie to do the talking as the blonde had been planning this rant for months, but at the mention of Percy's biological father, she couldn't contain herself. As far as she knew, Percy's biological father was never around and he never actually talked about him.

Percy licked his lips nervously. "Sort of. It's really complicated and I'd really rather not talk about it. Like I said, I'm sorry I worried you guys by disappearing but it's not really any of your business." His tone made it clear that the topic was close for discussion. It was rare to ever see Percy so serious outside of swim meets, but the group knew better than to question him.

Hazel eyes widened in surprise at that. None of their business? Kayla stared at him in bewilderment before she pursed her lips in barely controlled anger. "Right, right. Sorry we thought we ranked high enough on your friend list to keep us in the loop. That was half a year, Jackson. You were gone for half a year without a word. We tried all ways we could of contacting you and _nothing_. Sorry we thought we were important enough for an explanation." With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.

Thomas Young cleared his throat as an awkward silence filled the space between the group. They knew how worried Kayla had been for Percy but no one actually expected her to go off on him like that. "Well, uh, welcome back, Cap," Thomas said offhandedly as he clapped the demigod on the shoulder.

"Kales will get over it. She was just worried. We all were," another girl piped up as she briefly hugged Percy. Julie Nelson had always been the most soft-spoken of their little group and perhaps the voice of reason. "At least send a telegram if you decide to go missing again, yeah?"

"I promise I'll do anything in my power to inform you of my whereabouts should another family emergency arise," Percy drawled with a roll of his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm sure my mom with flay me alive if I missed another semester of school."

"Not to mention the fact that you'd be hunted down—"

"Electrocuted to within an inch of your life—"

"Mobbed by an army of the undead—"

"Shishkabobbed with an electric spear—"

"Burned to a crisp—"

"I think you guys have made your point," the blonde standing in front of the unfamiliar group cut in at the mortified faces of the seniors standing in front of Percy Jackson. "So disappearing wouldn't be wise, Seaweed Brain." Amusement danced in her grey eyes as he gaped at them in complete shock. When it didn't seem like he would be gathering his wits anytime soon, she rolled her eyes and turned her gaze on the group of mortals.

Before she could say anything more, the girl with the pixie cut and dark clothes cut in. "Yo, Kelp Head, gonna introduce us or what?" Thalia asked, discreetly sending a bolt of lightning at the dumbfounded son of Poseidon.

Percy yelped in shock before glaring at her only to receive a triumphant smirk. Shaking his head, he stepped between the two groups. "Right so, these are my friends from school: Sadie Marks, Mason Fox, Julie Nelson, and Thomas Young. Fox and Young are on the swim team with me." He ignored their skeptical looks at that little tidbit of information to continue with introductions. "Guys, these are my friends from that summer camp I told you about: Thalia Grace, Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez, Clarisse La Rue, Chris Rodirguez, and Annabeth Chase." His arm easily slipped around Annabeth's shoulders as he spoke, giving her a light squeeze at her name. "So now that that's done. What in Hades name are you guys doing here?"

"Don't be rude, Percy," Sadie chided as she lightly slapped his arm. "It's nice to meet you guys! Percy talks about camp a lot," she greeted and stepped forward. "I'm assuming you guys are new here so just let us know if you need anything. I'm sure you guys know Perce can get a little … empty headed."

The boy in question let out an indignant scoff as his so-called friends readily agreed. "You guys are all traitors," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Stop being such a child, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth tsked, ruffling his bangs teasingly as he narrowed his glare at her. She grinned unabashed. "She can't help it if it's true."

Percy scowled, scrunching his face in distaste. "Always so difficult," he grumbled only to receive a cheeky grin from the blonde. When she parted her lips to retort, he rolled his eyes and cut her off, "and yes, I know you've said you'll never make it easy, but hey, a guy can hope!"

Annabeth shook her head, amusement dancing in her grey eyes. "Yeah, well, after the disappearing act you pulled, I figure I'm entitled to making things _extra_ difficult for you for a while." The group behind her nodded their assent, only to receive a mock glare from Percy. He couldn't exactly blame them. He'd heard about how Annabeth dealt with his disappearance.

"Fine, fine. How about I start making it up to you by showing you to your first class before we're all late?" He offered, tugging at the end of her ponytail gently. "What's up first?"

* * *

By the time the final bell rang, Percy was surprised at how well his mortal friends got along with his camp friends. Then again, it wasn't too much of a surprise. Part of the reason he probably got along so well with the mortals was because they were practically exactly like everyone from camp. They all even invited themselves over to his house for his mother's cookies.

"Mom, I'm home!"

"Nico, shut up, you don't live here!" Percy shot back, punching his cousin's arm lightly. "Mom, I'm home!"

"In the kitchen! The cookies are cooling," Sally Blofis called out, voice muffled by the parting walls. She smiled as the pack of teens tumbled into the small room. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I made more than enough." Amusement shone through her voice as she watched the guys all but grapple for the first cookie. It was nice to see her son surrounded by so many friends. "Oh, Annabeth, when are the others heading down?"

Annabeth slipped around the crowd to stand next to the woman. "I'm not sure. I told them we'd probably come by here after school, if they wanted to join," she answered with a light shrug. "I'm sure they won't be able to resist your cookies."

"What others?" Percy asked, scooting over to stand behind the blonde. His hand rested lightly on her hips, a finger slipping through one of her belt loops to tug her towards him. "Who else is coming?" He narrowed his eyes at her cheeky grin. She seemed to be doing that a lot today. More so than usual, anyway.

Swatting his hand away, she lazily walked over to the other side of Sally. "You'll see, Seaweed Brain," she drawled, relishing in the confusion and frustration slowly seeping into his expression. "Don't think too hard on it. You might hurt—" she cut off with a shriek as he lunged at her. "No, Percy," she tried, dodging his arms and taking off down the hall. She heard the thudding of his footsteps behind her and Sally's amused laughter.

When she ducked into his room, Percy snickered and shut the door behind him. "Got you," he announced proudly as he stalked towards her. Annabeth raised an eyebrow, standing her ground during his approach.

An amused smile found its way to her lips as she tugged on the hem of his shirt. "So you do. What are you going to do now?" She asked, tilting her head back to look him in the eye. His eyes darkened as he noticed the teasing tone but he made no reply. "Or perhaps, _I've_ got you exactly where I want you," she pointed out, sliding her arms around his neck.

"Devious," he snickered before placing his lips on hers.

* * *

Percy's mortal friends continued to stare down the hallway a few minutes later, waiting for their friend to emerge. When he didn't, Kayla cleared her throat and stood. "Uhm, maybe we should go check on them?" She offered, starting towards the hall but stopped at the snorts of the new kids.

"Yeah, go for it if you want to be scarred for life," Thalia pointed out with a roll of her eyes. "I'm actually surprised they made it through the whole school day without jumping each other."

Nico scrunched his face up in disgust. "'Sides, Percy gets a little violent when they're interrupted." The last time Leo and Nico had bursted through the doors of Cabin Three without knocking had left the two demigods in the middle of a hurricane for the better part of a day.

"Wait, what," Mason asked, looking at the others that looked about ready to burst. "Interrupt what?"

Clarisse raised an eyebrow. "What else would a teenage boy be doing with his girlfriend in an empty room?" she asked as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. Then again, it probably was as understanding seemed to dawn on the rest of the group. At that, Clarisse grimaced and handed over some gold coins to the outstretched hand of Leo just as the others did the same. "I can't believe he actually held off!"

"Pleasure doing business with you lot," he announced proudly, pocketing the gold coins. "Have a little faith in those two, will you? Or at least their sneaking skills. I mean, that is Annabeth we're talking about." When the others started at that revelation, Leo snickered and crossed his arms. "Nope. I still won. I said none of us would see them swap spit in school and we haven't!" The others grumbled in complaint but could find no fault in that logic. With a grin, Leo jingled the coins in his hand. "So, who's up for betting on how long til they're back?"

It was a good five minutes later when the couple rejoined the group in the kitchen with disheveled hair and mussed clothes and bruised lips. The others groaned in dismay as Leo let out a triumphant whoop and collected his winnings again. "Once again, pleasure doing business with you lot," he stated as he pocketed a third of the coins. "Here's your share, Annie!"

There was a cry of outrage as Annabeth pocketed the coins handed to her. With a roll of her eyes, she picked a cookie from the plate then tossed one to Percy. "You guys didn't really think I wouldn't know about these bets, right?" She asked, staring at each one of them individually. "Even Percy figured it out," she pointed out and tossed him half her share. "He actually came up with the plan of getting someone in on it!"

* * *

**Just for the record, this is actually just a one-shot, if you can even call it that. It was something I had scribbled in one of my notebooks and finally got around to typing it up. I initially meant to write a multi-chaptered story but inspiration for it has left me. As much as I love the PJO series, I don't think I could actually write anything of substantial length until after Blood of Olympus is out.**

**- Skye**


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